GOLF: Social media stunner defends herself after controversial debut
American golfer and social media star Paige Spiranac has defended her controversial Ladies European tour debut in Dubai.
You may have heard of American golfer Paige Spiranac - or at the very least seen her.
The 22-year-old has 500,000 Instagram fans and a video of her performing trick shots on YouTube has been viewed almost two million times.
She also happens to have supermodel good-looks and has been described by some as one of the sexiest female athletes in the world.
It was this online presence that saw her controversially invited to make her debut on the elite Ladies European Tour this week, ahead of other up and coming players.
But the San Diego University graduate, where she was a top golfer, didn't help herself at the Omega Dubai Ladies Masters. Rounds of 77 and 79 meant she missed the cut by 12 shots and was a whopping 24 behind midway leader Shanshan Feng.
She told reporters that she understood critics' motivation but was intent on making her name in the game for the right reasons.
"I understand where they are coming from. I mean, I've played golf and have had good results, but when you look at my game compared to the top players in the world, I'm not in the same league,' she is quoted by The Telegraph.
"But I wish they could see that I'm working as hard as I can. I may make it, I may not make it. But I'm just trying to focus on what I need to do to get to the next level and trying not to focus on what they say."
Earlier this year, Spiranac spoke to Yahoo where she defended her online presence and choice of clothing.
"I’m not trying to be a sex symbol," she said.
"I like to wear makeup, that’s just how I feel good about myself, I like to feel confident because I play better that way," she said.
"I never understood why you have to be good at a sport or attractive."
She also defended posting videos of her hitting shots while wearing hot pants and mini-skirts.
"I workout in the morning and then I head straight to the golf course so I’ll just throw on a skirt," she said of her clothing choices.
"They’re quick to judge that I’m just doing it for attention but it’s just me wearing what I’m comfortable in and it’s a waste of time for me to go home and change."
